Thursday, March 22, 2007

Reading real books

Last night I didn't go straight home after work. It's not that I'm so old, but generally, unless I stop at the fruit store, I go straight home after work to whip up some dinner, sink into a warm computer or television, make some calls and maybe work out in the basement. The fun never stops.

But last night I stopped at a place called the Book Cellar on Lincoln Avenue in a trendy neighborhood not far from my office, as luck would have it, to hear a couple of blogger friends read from their published novels. I had never done this, attended a book reading. And I had never met a blogger friend, which is considered a Big Thing, something to blog about.

Mine is a sedentary job so luckily I could browse the books while Rick Karlin (Show Biz Kids), whom I hope to really meet one day, so funny, Amy Guth and Elaine Solloway read excerpts from Three Fallen Women and The Division Street Princess. I had no idea how charming, gorgeous, and talented they'd be.

Okay, I confess. I was so late for this event that I missed Amy's reading, and she's a performance artist. She's the one I really wanted to see (I'd already read Elaine's book, good reading, btw, but I'd read that Amy performs and am a sucker for a performance by a performer any day). So missing Amy perform/read (not sure what she really did) ruined an already perfectly bad day. But she did sign my book with love and kisses and what could be better than that?

Oh, oh you want to know why I had a bad day? Try bathtub leaking, electricity simply failing in the basement, meaning a bad wire somewhere (F.D. had fixed it by the time I got home). Rain, rain, rain. Stupid things I should be grateful for since in the end, they're LITTLE things. Think relativistic, stay rational, and very few things are actually bad and there are very few bad days. So this was not a perfectly bad day at the end of the day. It was a good day.

Anyway, I also got to meet Leah, who is another blogger and author of Shebrew, and at least got within 6 inches of her because she wasn't reading. Gave Leah a big hug and waved to Amy, couldn't even catch Elaine's eye since she was reading from the Division Street Princess about her brother's Bar Mitzvah and her mother bothering her father about eating and drinking too much.

And then, in my usual style, I had to go.

Get there late, leave early. Trademark. One day I'll change.

But last night, when I went to bed, I had shiny new novels at my side and I have to tell you. They put you to sleep faster than this blogging thing does. Not that the books are boring! Amy's is scaring the heck out of me!

But being in bed, with a book. Delicious. Soporific. It's that or I was tired and it was late. I'm recommending it, seriously, the soft cover thing. Or was that the cover thing. Will I ever stop writing about sex? Well, both, both are good, and the earlier in the evening, the better.


TherapyDoc

12 comments:

awannabe said...

That's cool. It sounds like fun. How do you find bloggers in your community?

Anonymous said...

It was great to meet you in person last night. I love how small the Chicago Jblog community feels sometimes.

Stick with Amy's book--yes, there are some scary bits, but lots of beautiful writing and images in there too.

therapydoc said...

I think I found both Amy, Elaine and Leah by clicking on links from someone else's blogroll altogether. There is a ChicagoBlogger site but I haven't looked around there in a long time. If I were looking for local bloggers I'd Google the name of the city, for example, "Philadelphia blogs" and see what popped up.

therapydoc said...

ok, Leah, I'll buck up. the writing is beautiful.

flic said...

Is it real, or is it memory? You have been included in Medical Surrealism

therapydoc said...

Oh, the company I keep out here.

Anonymous said...

One way to meet bloggers locally is through MeetUp.com. Look for blogger meetups. Also, blogsearch.google.com or technorati.com are great ways to find local bloggers.

*nerd*

Anonymous said...

I've never met blogger friends and I've never been to a book reading. Maybe sometime...

You might like the Book & Reading Forums.

therapydoc said...

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Stacey said...

Love your blog! Love Chicago, too (I am originally from Cleveland and you guys have the same accent as we do)!

Have never been in therapy, but know lots of social workers, psychiatrists and psychologists socially.

I cannot remember the last time I read a book. Oh yeah, it was pre-kids. Nowadays I am lucky if I can sneak a peek at my Gourmet Magazine and Texas Jewish Post.

L'chaim.

therapydoc said...

They'll grow up, you'll read again. When I thought I'd make aliyah I was told that 1 out of 3 adults were social workers (Masters) (which was why I got a PhD.) So we have to wonder, what IS it about so many of us that we have to go into the mental health professions! L'chaiim back.

Elaine Soloway said...

So happy you were at the event. Sorry we didn't get to chat. Next time? And thanks for the link! Bloggers rule.
Love,
Elaine

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